Did you know that comparative tasks improve comprehension and help students develop higher order thinking skills? In this lesson, students will compare nonfiction texts on the same topic using Venn diagrams and performance!

In this lesson, students will examine illustrations and write about them using declarative sentences. This can be used on its own or as support for the lesson A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Connecting Text and Illustrations.

Every great reader and writer knows that syntax matters. During this lesson, students will use the close reading strategy to focus on word choice, and use their understanding of syntax to develop theories about patterns in the text.

Let's get reading! In this lesson, students will identify the main idea and details of a nonfiction text. Use this on its own or as support for the lesson Connecting the Coasts: Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Use this lesson to help your ELs identify the main idea and supporting evidence in a short fictional text. It can be a stand-alone lesson or used as support for the lesson Reading Closely.

What do Malala Yousafzai, Al Gore, and Michelle Obama all have in common? They are all nonfiction authors with a purpose. In this interactive lesson, students will gain practice looking at details in text to identify the author’s purpose.

Look at history! In this lesson, guide students through an exploration of the context, causes, and effects of the Transcontinental Railroad, and help them practice identifying the main idea and supporting details in a nonfiction text.

Use this lesson to help your ELs ask different types of questions as they read. Students will analyze a story and ask questions based on the text. This lesson could be used on its own or used as support to the Red Light, Green Light lesson.

Take your fourth and fifth graders on a deep dive into the civil rights movement with this lesson on Amelia Boynton Robinson. A key activist in the movement, Amelia played a critical role in organizing the Selma to Montgomery march. Your students will read, annotate, and analyze her biography through multiple reads, before discussing the text with their classmates.

Use this lesson to help your ELs strengthen their vocabulary and learn how to create a personal timeline. Teach this lesson as a standalone lesson or use it as support for the lesson Timelines and Nonfiction Text.

It is not only important for students to recognize words with prefixes, but also be able to choose the right prefix for the base word. In this lesson, students will work in groups to come up with as many words as possible with particular prefixes.